5.16.2008
Hyperthymesticsm Means Never Forgetting
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At UC-Irvine, scientists are studying a man with a hyperthymestic memory, planning to use an advanced MRI array to analyze whether or not he shows any signs of structural brain differences compared with the norm.
In hyperthymesticsm, individuals have a more efficient database, remembering most details about daily activities years later, associating each with a name and a date.
Interestingly, they do not show superior behavior on information processing and immediate memory tasks, just exceptional recall. Nor are such individuals savants, with deficiencies in one area but exceptional skills in others areas, such as numeric computation.
Findings might improve our understanding of the mechanism of knowledge accumulation and retention and locate it more precisely in the brain.
Labels: 1964, condition, hyperthymestic, Irvine, UC, Williams, Wisconsin
